Sliding side jaw wrench having a secure bearing pin



March 23, 1965 KATSUMI FUJll 3,174,366

SLIDING SIDE JAW WRENCH HAVING A SECURE BEARING PIN Filed June '7, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR. 6 4 7'Jl/M/ Fl/J/l March 23, 1965 KATSUMI 3,174,366

I SLIDING SIDE JAW WRENCH HAVING A SECURE BEARING PIN Filed June 7, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR. K4 Tow/ w fm/y/ United States Patent 3,174,366 SLIDING SIDE .IAW WRENCH HAVING A SECURE BEARING PIN Katsumi Fujii, 4164 Ooaza Iibe, Takakura-cho, Takahashi-shi, Okayama-ken, Japan Filed June 7, 1961, Ser. No. 115,414 3 Claims. (Cl. 81-465) The invention relates to a wrench, comprising a stationary jaw and a cooperating movable jaw operatively coupled with an operating worm rotatively mounted by a mounting or hearing pin which passes through the central bore thereof and is mounted in turn in said stationary aw.

The main object of the invention is to provide an improved wrench, which provides very smooth and light operations, and is thus easy and convenient to manipulate.

Another object is to provide a wrench wherein the hearing pin for the operating worm is secured in a manner avoiding the unintentional loosening or disengagement thereof.

For realization of the above and further objects of the invention, the Wrench is so constructed as the main aspect of the invention, that a tapped hole is provided in the lower wall of the conventional recess provided for the reception of said operating worm, and a plain hole is formed in said wall in communication with both the recess and the tapped hole, while the upper wall of said worm receiving recess is formed with a hole, plain or tapped as the case may be, to receive the tip end of said bearing pin, and that the central bore in said worm and the bearing pin for the latter are formed with cooperating shoulders so as to support said worm.

These and other desirable objects and several features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the detail description which follows in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, showing several preferred embodiments of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a partially sectioned elevational view of a wrench constructed as a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a bottom view the wrench illustrated in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the head of said wrench;

FIGURE 4 is a side view, showing several constituent parts of said Wrench;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view similar to FIGURE 3, illustrating a second embodiment of the invention; and

FIGURE 6 represents detail views of several parts of the wrench.

Now, referring to the accompanying drawings, especially FIGURES 1-4 thereof, the main body 3 of the wrench according to the invention comprises a stationary jaw 1 and a shank or grip 2, while a movable jaw 11 is guided slidably along a guide groove 4 cut in the head or stationary jaw as in the conventional manner. At an intermediate portion of groove 4 and in communication thereof, a recess 5 is provided as shown for reception of an operating worm 13 therein. A tapped hole 7 and a plain hole 8 are provided in the bottom wall 6 of said recess 5 in succession, thus completely passing therethrough. On the other hand, the upper wall of recess 5 is provided therein with a plain and blind hole 10 for reception of the tip end of a worm mounting pin 9. The movable jaw 11 is as in the conventional way formed on its back surface with a number of rack teeth 12 slidably supported along groove 4, as described hereinabove. The worm 13 is formed therein with a central bore 14 for reception of said mounting pin 9, which is formed in turn with a tapered head 17.

As most clearly shown in FIGURE 3, one end of bore 14 is enlarged as at 15 to form a recess for reception of a coil spring 16, while the opposite or lower end of bore 14 is tapered as at 14 for snugly receiving said pin head 17.

When assembling, coil spring 16 is placed in recess 15 in worm 13, the assembly is then inserted into main body recess 5, so as to engage worm 13 with the rack teeth 12 on movable jaw 11. Then, the mounting pin 9 is inserted from bottom through opening 7-8, until the tip of said pin has been snugly, but turnably received in the blind hole 10. Next, a spring washer 18 is placed on the head 17 of pin 9 and finally a stop screw 19 is driven into tapped hole 7 so as to prevent the mounting pin 9 from disengaging.

In the second embodiment of the invention as shown in FIGURES 5 and 6, tapered shoulder 14' is formed at an intermediate portion of the central bore 14 of worm 13, thus the bore in this case being formed into smaller and larger diameter portions, as most clearly seen from the left detail view of FIGURE 6. In the corresponding way, mounting pin 9 is provided substantially on its intermediate portion with a tapered shoulder 17, thereby providing larger and smaller diameter portions. The larger diameter portion has two circumferential grooves 140, as shown.

The tip end of mounting pin 9 is formed thereon with screw threads 9', so as to engage a tapped hole 10 formed in the upper wall of main body recess 5. In the operative position, the mounting pin 9 is pressed upwardly through washer 13 by a stop screw 19, as in the previous embodiment.

In the wrench according to the invention, as described in detail hereinbefore, the central bore in the operating worm and the bearing pin for the latter are formed with cooperating tapered shoulders so as to support said worm, thereby the resistance acting between worm and bearing pin is substantially reduced and smoother and lighter operation of the movable jaw can be assured.

The head of the mounting pin is held in position through the intermediary of spring washer 18 by stop screw 19, so that possible loosening of the pin during a long extended service period can be assured and otherwise possible troubles caused thereby may be elfectively prevented.

Now referring back to FIGURE 1, wherein the mounting pin is supported by its opposite ends fitted rotatably in the corresponding plain or hearing holes cut in the upper and lower walls of main body recess for reception of operating worm, instead of the second constructional embodiment of mounting pin held in position by screw engagement with the cooperating tapped hole, highly smooth operation of the worm can be assured, and any rotational movement of the mounting pin does not invite disengagement thereof. Resilient pressure exerted by coil spring 15 upon the worm urges the tapered shoulder formed therein against the cooperative one provided on the mounting pin, so that inevitable blacklashes of the worm may be thus effectively compensated.

It is seen from the foregoing disclosure that the above mentioned objects of the invention are well fulfilled. It is to be understood that the foregoing disclosure is given by way of illustrative example, rather than by way of limitation, and that without departing from the invention, the details may be varied within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A wrench comprising a main body portion having a stationary jaw, a movable jaw, and means cooperatively coupling said movable jaw to said stationary jaw, said means including an operating worm having a central bore longitudinally extending therethrough, a single bearing pin rotatively supporting said operating worm and extending throughout said central bore, first and second ends of said bearing pin extending beyond said central bore and snugly contained within respective first and second aligned openings oppositely disposed in said main body portion, adjacent the ends of said operating worm, said first opening, central bore and second opening being disposed in successive adjacent relationship to receive the entire length of said bearing pin, an intermediate region of said central bore having a tapered shoulder, an intermediate region of said bearing pin including larger and smaller diameter portions being joined by a tapered shoulder, said bearing pin tapered shoulder being in registry relationship with said central bore tapered shoulder to cooperatively support said operating worm, and stop means for preventing disengagement of said bearing pin.

2. A wrench as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first end of said bearing pin and said first opening are in threaded engagement.

3. A wrench as set forth in claim 1 wherein said larger diameter portion coextensive with said central bore includes a plurality of circumferential grooves in a noncontact relationship with respect to said central bore.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,431,451 Armstrong Oct. 10, 1922 1,469,533 Rahling Oct. 2, 1923 1,511,395 Canan Oct. 14, 1924 1,621,123 McConville Mar. 15, 1927 2,112,840 Haist Apr. 5, 1938 2,614,872 Heidegger et a1. Oct. 21, 1952 2,687,662 Pugh Aug. 31, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 117,640 Sweden Nov. 12, 1946 

1. A WRENCH COMPRISING A MAIN BODY PORTION HAVING A STATIONARY JAW, A MOVABLE JAW, AND MEANS COOPERATIVELY COUPLING SAID MOVABLE JAW TO SAID STATIONARY JAW, SAID MEANS INCLUDING AN OPERATING WORM HAVING A CENTRAL BORE LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING THERETHROUGH, A SINGLE BEARING PIN ROTATIVELY SUPPORTING SAID OPERATING WORM AND EXTENDING THROUGHOUT SAID CENTRAL BORE, FIRST AND SECOND ENDS OF SAID BEARING PIN EXTENDING BEYOND SAID CENTRAL BORE AND SNUGLY CONTAINED WITHIN RESPECTIVE FIRST AND SECOND ALIGNED OPENINGS OPPOSITELY DISPOSED IN SAID MAIN BODY PORTION, ADJACENT THE ENDS OF SAID OPERATING WORM, SAID FIRST OPENING, CENTRAL BORE AND SECOND OPENING BEING DISPOSED IN SUCCESSIVE ADJACENT RELATIONSHIP TO RECEIVE THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF SAID BEARING PIN, AN INTERMEDIATE REGION OF SAID CENTRAL BORE HAVING A TAPERED SHOULDER, AN INTERMEDIATE REGION OF SAID BEARING PIN INCLUDING LARGER AND SMALLER DIAMETER PORTIONS BEING JOINED BY A TAPERED SHOULDER, SAID BEARING PIN TAPERED SHOULDER BEING IN REGISTRY RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID CENTRAL BORE TAPERED SHOULDER TO COOPERATIVELY SUPPORT SAID OPERATING WORM, AND STOP MEANS FOR PREVENTING DISENGAGEMENT OF SAID BEARING PIN. 